The Light of Mana is the Radiance of Life
by hcpaki95
Summary: A man who loses all he has takes his own life. By some power beyond his control, he is reincarnated as a being in a magical world plagued by discrimination and laced with deception. He must fight the discrimination, help save the world, and perhaps find himself in the process - all while being plagued by confusing memories of a life he has never lived.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello. This is my first time on this site, so please bear with me. This is the prologue of a story I've had in mind for some time now. If you like what you see, please review and let me know, and if you don't, please review anyway and tell me why. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia belongs to Namco, not to me. However, any characters I introduce and any changes I make to the plot are my own, as are my personal interpretations of the canon characters. Also, the premise of this story, which relies on reincarnation of a sort, does not in any way represent my own beliefs or lack thereof, and is simply utilized as a plot device.**

**Note: I know a prologue isn't exactly much to go on, so I plan to add Chapter One soon.**

**Prologue**

_Chicago, Present Day_

The young man did not want to die.

In fact, dying had been one of the greatest fears of his life. As a young child, he had researched whether scientists had yet found a path to immortality; as an adult, he despaired to find such methods himself.

Yet on the first day of October in 2015, at the age of only twenty-five, he sat on his cot, staring at the medical syringe in his shaking hand.

You see, even when seriously contemplating death – something he would never have seen himself doing before this week – he was still a coward. He'd decided to die, there was no possible better way _out _of this than to just die, and yet he couldn't stop his fingers from quaking like they were having an epileptic seizure. Or maybe they just wished he'd drop the syringe.

He didn't.

Slowly, painstakingly, but deliberately, he twitched his fingers so that the needle pressed against the visible vein in his left wrist. A bead of blood appeared on his pale skin, perfectly round, like a marble. He wondered at the deep crimson color. Was blood really supposed to look that way? In fact, the dark red against his now paper-white skin, coupled with the blue veins, made an oddly mesmerizing picture. Maybe he should take up painting.

His vision blurred, and he glanced at the syringe only to find it empty. When had he injected its contents? Well, no matter. That was what he had set out to do in the first place, was it not? Now he was drifting away…dying…

_Dying. _In a moment of lucidity, his eyes jerked open and he remembered what had driven him to this. _Curse you, whoever created this miserable existence_, he thought venomously.

Then the anger melted away. In the last moment before he drifted away, panic gripped him. _No. I take it back! I don't want to die. Please…save…_But even as he thrust the silent words from his mind, they were swallowed up by an infinite darkness.

And all was still.

…Too still, really. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? He still _felt _alive, just as if he was floating in space. He looked, but there was nothing to be seen; he tried to move, but it was as if he were disembodied._ Where am I?_ he tried to shout, but there was no method with which to make sound, no medium to transmit it, and nobody to hear it.

After what seemed like eternity staring at nothing, hearing nothing, feeling nothing, a time in which the man thought he must surely have gone utterly mad, a voice – no a _presence_ – rang through his mind. _You dare take your own life_, it said, but not in so many words. And he shivered at hearing it, although he did not know why.

_Are you…_ he began tentatively, hoping that he…_it_…could hear him.

_You have no need to know my identity. Just know that someone has seen fit to give you a chance to become a human being, to realize that the value of the world lies in more than your own success, your own knowledge, your own family. The world is not necessarily unfair or wrong because you feel you have personally been shortchanged. The world does not end when you die._

He became somewhat irate. _Who the hell are you, anyway? If you're just going to spout idealistic nonsense you can get out of my head._

The voice ignored him. _You'll be given one more chance before your fate is decided, in a world familiar to you, although not your own. You should be thankful for this. I personally think you don't deserve it, so I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut._

_You_ _–_ he began, but the voice overrode him once more.

_I have one last piece of advice. I don't know whether you will be able to remember your past once you are reborn, but if you do, do your best to forget it. Nothing good comes out of living in the past._

With that, the darkness exploded in a whirl of color. And the man as he was…was no more.

_Palmacosta_

Raine Sage, although only thirteen years old, thought of herself as a responsible adult, hardened to anything the world might throw at her. With good reason, she would argue. After all, she had been taking care of both herself and her baby brother Genis since she was eleven and he was only an infant. And everyone knew that half-elves mature quickly. But when she opened her door that morning to drop some books off at the academy and instead found a sleeping toddler at her feet, she had no idea what to think.

He was a small boy, appearing no more than two or three years old – about the same age as Genis – with hair as silver as Raine's and ears as pointed as an elf's. Despite his elfish appearance, however, Raine immediately sensed the odd mana signature that was the trademark of half-elves; not quite elf, yet not quite human. She gasped almost inaudibly, and then for once acted without thinking. She picked up the toddler in her arms, glancing around for any sign of his parents or other townspeople, and retreated back inside. In her distracted state she forgot about the loose floorboard near the door and almost tripped, noisily knocking over a chair.

"Raine...?" came Genis's sleepy voice, and Raine cursed inwardly, realizing she'd woken him. The two year-old tottered a bit unsteadily out of the room where they both slept, rubbing his eyes. Then he looked up at the other boy and his blue eyes became round. "Who?" he asked, wide awake now. Raine sighed resignedly.

"Genis," she began gently, "I found him outside. He is a half-elf, like us."

The little boy's eyes widened even further. He clapped a hand over his mouth, then looked all around the room as if he were afraid someone was hiding there and would overhear. "Really?" he said in a hushed and awed voice. He had never encountered another half-elf besides his sister. "So he'll be an elf with us?"

"Yes, Genis," Raine said softly, kneeling and placing the boy on the soft rug. "Remember, nobody can know that we are half-elves. All of us are full-blooded elves." She sat down next to him.

Genis nodded solemnly and immediately with the air of having heard the same thing many times before. Then his gaze brightened. "So will he be my new brother?"

Raine hesitated. She doubted that this young boy's parents would be coming back, considering that they had abandoned him so neatly on her doorstep. "Yes, he can be your brother," she said at last, smiling gently. It would be difficult to take care of yet another little boy, but she knew there was no way she could abandon a half-elf child who would be eschewed everywhere he went, or in the worst case – she shuddered – taken in by the Desians. She thought briefly back to the time when the Desians had tried to recruit her and Genis…

Genis's voice broke into her thoughts. "What's his name?" the boy asked earnestly, oblivious to his sister's disquiet. Raine glanced at the sleeping half-elf.

"I don't know," she admitted. "We will have to ask him when he wakes up. It seems someone may have put a sleeping spell on him."

Genis frowned. "That's not nice."

Raine smiled and ruffled her brother's hair. "It should wear off soon, but you're right; it's not," she agreed. "But we'll be his family now, okay Genis?"

"Okay!" Genis agreed happily. "I've always wanted a little brother!"

Just then, both half-elves heard the little boy stir and turned to look at him. His eyes opened and Raine noticed that they were green, which was not too unusual for a half-elf. He seemed to focus on Raine's face, and confusion crossed his expression. The boy sat up.

"Where's Father?" he asked, directing his question to Raine. Raine sat back in surprise. The reaction was not one she would have expected from a toddler who suddenly found himself without his family. He seemed very mature for his age, but she couldn't help thinking there was something else off about him.

"Who is your father?" she asked, carefully. "And can you tell me how old you are?" she added as an afterthought.

The boy blinked. "Everyone knows Father, and I'm four. Where is this?"

"You're in Palmacosta, a port town," Raine explained, watching his expression a little anxiously. "Do you know where your father lives?"

The boy stared at her for some time, as if thinking over what she had said. "Father couldn't tell me the location because it could compromise the safety of the organization," he recited dully, as if it were a sentence he had memorized. "He couldn't tell me his name either. That's sensitive information," he added, as if he thought Raine needed more explanation.

She was taken aback by this. "…I see," she said, at last, unsure of how to respond. She was about to continue, but the boy spoke again.

"This isn't where Father lives." It wasn't a question.

"…No, I don't think so," Raine agreed. Genis was listening intently, she noticed.

The boy closed his eyes, and for a second he looked like he might cry. The expression passed as he swallowed and seemed to make an effort. Then he said with a slight tremor in his voice, "Father said he might have to get me away. Some people there were bad. But he said people down here are bad too, if they know you're a half-elf." He opened his eyes and gave Raine a serious glance. "Do the bad people know you're a half-elf?"

Raine hid her surprise that such a young child could recognize her mana signature, filing away what he had said for future rumination. "No," she said slowly. "I'm an elf."

He nodded, unfazed. "That's right. I'll be an elf too, okay?" He paused. "Father said if I had to come down here, he might not be able to see me again. Will you take care of me?"

The more the child spoke, the more shocking his words were. Raine could hardly believe his calmness, but she answered immediately, "Yes, of course. Do you want to be Genis's new brother?" She put her hand on Genis's shoulder as she spoke.

The boy looked at Genis. "Hello," he said. "I'm Rai."

Genis grinned. "Hi!" he exclaimed. "I'm Genis and I'm two, so you're my big brother!"

Rai smiled.

**A/N: Please review!**


	2. Chapter One: Trouble Begins

**A/N: Here's the first chapter! The chapters will probably get longer in the future, but this one is just setting things up. Please review, and I hope you like it! If you have any questions, feel free to pose them in a review.**

Chapter One: Trouble Begins

"By the way, Rai, where were you last night?"

Rai stiffened at his brother's cheerful query. How was it possible that Genis had noticed he was gone? He must have botched the sleeping spell somehow. Silently, he cursed his own ineptitude with magic. Although he could perform strong spells with enough practice, they had never come to him as effortlessly as they had to Genis, even though the other boy was a full two years younger than he was.

"…Rai? Hellllooo? Don't tell me you're off in your own little dream world again," Genis teased. Rai blinked and looked at him, remembering the question.

"Ah…nowhere," he said evasively. "Just needed some fresh air."

"If you say so," Genis said skeptically, but didn't press further. Rai massaged his temples. The younger boy knew him far too well.

Before the conversation could continue any further, Raine stood and rapped on her desk sharply with her fist. "It's time for class to start," she said sharply. "Now, has everyone –"

The rest of her words were drowned out as a gangly teenager dressed in red skidded around the corner, tripped head over heels, rolled spectacularly across the room, and crashed straight into Rai's desk, sending the small half-elf plummeting to the ground. Next to him, Genis snickered.

Rai scowled as he picked himself off the floor, dusting off his black clothes. The boy – Lloyd Irving, one of the most annoying people to grace the planet – got up as well, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah, Rai. Sorry about that. Are you alright?"

"No, I am certainly not all right," Rai said coldly. "I had a headache and you made it about ten times worse, not to mention completely derailing my train of thought –"

He was cut off by the sound of Raine clearing her throat sharply. "Rai," she said, her voice cracking like a whip, "There is no need to be rude. Lloyd has apologized, and you should accept the apology." Rai flinched at her tone, then looked back at Lloyd. Already the anger was starting to drain out of him. Why had he, a person who prided himself on his self-control, lost his temper so easily? Due to someone like Lloyd, no less.

"Apology accepted," he said stiffly. "I'm sorry for being rude, but I'd appreciate it if next time you didn't make an entrance by knocking me into the floorboards."

"Ah, yeah," Lloyd said, looking embarrassed. "I –"

"Yes, don't think you're off the hook either, Lloyd Irving," Raine interrupted, a steely glint in her eye as she thwacked the ruler she was holding into her left hand. "To the back. I thought I told you I don't tolerate lateness?"

Lloyd slumped his shoulders. "Yes, professor," he said, still sounding embarrassed as he trudged to the back. Rai almost snorted derisively, but managed to control himself at the last second. _Why _was Lloyd able to rile him up so? Surely the mere fact that he was…_no_. Quickly, Rai cut off the dangerous line of thinking. He'd sworn to push that to the back of his mind.

He focused on Raine's lecture, refusing to think any more about Lloyd or…_that_. The older half-elf was waxing eloquent about the wonders of the Triet Ruins, the location of the first seal Colette would have to visit. He committed himself to taking notes on the properties of polycarbonate and its possible usages in magitechnology, which had long been lost to the world…

That was another thing. He had once lived in a world where there was magitechnology _everywhere_. It wasn't called magitechnology then, of course. He had a couple of theories about what his memories could mean, but none of them were very believable...

Not to mention the fact that _this _world was…but…no. He shook his head. He was getting distracted again. He growled softly in frustration. Lloyd always did this to him. That useless idiot. The mere fact that he might possibly have such a relation with a buffoon like that made him irritable.

Rai pushed his unsettling thoughts to the back of his mind and directed his attention to the lecture.

...

Genis glanced up from his notes at his older brother. Rai was taking notes seemingly attentively, but his jaw was clenched and his leg was bouncing up and down rapidly in the way it always did when he was restless. He was obviously agitated about something – and Genis was pretty sure he knew what it was, too.

Ever since they'd moved to Iselia about five years ago – since Rai had first encountered Lloyd – he'd hated the other boy. Genis still couldn't fathom exactly _why_. It couldn't just be the fact that Lloyd acted like an idiot sometimes and didn't do well in school, although that was the reason Rai usually gave; Rai's dislike of Lloyd had started ever since he'd first _met _him. Genis supposed his being best friends with Lloyd didn't much help either. Rai was probably somewhat jealous, since he'd been Genis's only friend before that. But _still_, it wasn't enough to justify…

Well, puzzling over it wouldn't do any good. After all, he'd only thought about this like a _million _times before this, Genis thought in annoyance. If only Rai would just tell him the truth. Obviously he knew something about Lloyd, or maybe Lloyd reminded him of someone…either way, it definitely wasn't as simple as he'd like people to believe.

He sighed. Despite that, he liked Rai. He looked up to his older brother – Rai was always sure of himself and could handle himself like an adult, almost like Raine. And he was really smart, too – so was Genis, but Rai was smart in a different way. Genis picked up concepts really fast and he could remember things really easily – and he read a lot – but Rai could just…_think_ really well. He could reason things out and come up with plans and just…he always seemed to make the most logical decision. Even though his magic had taken a little longer to take hold than Genis's had, Genis was still a little jealous.

He realized Raine must have asked him a question, because everyone was now staring at him. "Sorry, could you repeat the question?" he asked quickly. Raine looked at him in concern, and he sighed inwardly. She was probably thinking it was unlike him to be so distracted and now she'd be worrying about him and nagging at him all day. Raine could just be so…_Raine _sometimes.

"I asked who Mithos was," she said. Genis smirked a little as he stood up. History was just so _easy_.

"Mithos, the hero, brought about the end of the Ancient War in the Holy Ground of Kharlan," he recited easily. Raine looked a little mollified.

"Correct. Afterwards, the hero formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians who caused the war."

Genis heard Rai snort under his breath and glanced at his brother curiously. What was so funny about the history lesson?

Raine paused. "We'll end the history here for today, and finish up this lesson in a few days. After all, coming up is…"

"The Day of Prophecy," the class chorused before she could finish. Genis rolled his eyes. Yeah, she'd mentioned that only about a _thousand_ times…

"Yes," Raine said, satisfied. "Time for a math lesson. Genis, would you care to recite the quadratic equation?"

"Yes, Raine."

...

Lloyd yawned as the Professor worked some complicated math stuff on the blackboard. Math was just one thing he didn't see the point of. Even history was a bit better…after all, the Desians who caused the Ancient War were back, so knowing what happened in the past could be helpful.

Except, they _didn't _really know what happened, Lloyd reminded himself. At least, they knew Mithos the Hero ended the war, but there weren't really any details as to _how_ he did that, or as to why the Desians were back now and causing everyone to suffer again. He had almost asked that question earlier, but had held back. He knew Rai and Genis would have poked fun at him. Genis he didn't mind so much, because he knew the elf didn't mean it. But Rai was a different story…

Lloyd sighed. He didn't want to think about Rai. He'd tried everything to be nice to him – he liked to get along with everyone – but the annoying guy just wouldn't go along with it! He wasn't sure what he could've done to make that kid hate him so much.

"Ow!" He awoke with a jolt, and realized that most of the classroom was empty. He must have dozed off. He looked up and saw that the Professor was standing in front of him. _She probably slapped me again_, Lloyd thought ruefully. _Damn, she hits hard!_

"That was for sleeping through my class," she said sternly. "Now run along!"

He grinned sheepishly, running a finger through his hair. "Yes, Professor!"

Some things never changed.

...

"Lloyd!"

Colette ran up to her best friend. "So you finally woke up, huh?" she joked, giggling a little to cheer him up in case the Professor had hit him a little too hard.

"Yup," he replied, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Man, the Professor can really pack a punch!" He made a face.

Colette's expression fell. "Oh no! I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Lloyd sighed. "You dork. Stop apologizing, I told you already!"

"Oh, yeah! I'm sorry!" She smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go see where Genis is!" She knew mentioning Rai would put Lloyd in a bad mood. She didn't know why the two of them weren't friends, but she was sure it wasn't Lloyd's fault. Lloyd was the friendliest person she knew!

"Hey, Colette…" He sounded serious. Colette's heart sank a little. He was going to ask about…

"So you'll be starting off on your journey in just a few days, huh? Regenerating the world!"

"Y-yeah," she said quickly, trying to keep her voice even and happy-sounding. She didn't want to worry Lloyd. "I'm looking forward to it!" She giggled.

"I want to come, too," Lloyd said seriously. "To protect you!"

"Lloyd…" She just couldn't bring herself to say no and watch his face fall. But the journey was just too dangerous! And then there was what would happen at the end…

"I want you to come too! But I don't think Grandmother will allow it," she said apologetically. "So let's make every day count!" She smiled at him and continued walking.

_Lloyd…_He didn't know anything that would happen, or what the world regeneration really meant. _I'm so sorry._

_..._

Genis glared at Rai. "I can't believe you could be so heartless! She'll _die _if I don't help her!"

Rai looked back at him steadily. He felt bad that he was hurting Genis, but his little brother had to learn that life wasn't always fair or easy. "Genis, I told you not to go to the ranch in the first place. If you had just listened to me, this – "

"If I had listened to you, I would never have known how horribly they were treating Marble and everyone else!" Genis trembled and his eyes were filling with tears. Rai felt a pang.

"Look, Genis…" he said gently, trying to calm his brother. "I know how you feel. The people at the ranch are suffering. But there's really nothing we can –"

"No, you don't know how I feel!" Genis burst out, knocking Rai's hand away from him. "How can you be so…so cold? They're suffering and being treated horribly and being killed – and it's all because of half-elves like u-" He was muffled as Rai put a hand over his mouth.

"Quiet," Rai hissed. "Did you forget where we are? Were you really about to blurt it out in the middle of the village?! Who knows who might be listening?" He paused and took a breath. "Look," he snapped. "I'm not letting go of you until you've calmed down enough to stop blurting random things out at the top of your lungs! Calmed down yet?"

Genis nodded, still glaring at him. As soon as Rai let him go he took off running in the opposite direction. Rai sighed and slumped to the ground. That had gone completely awry. He had hoped to explain to Genis that if he were caught breaking the peace treaty, then even _more _people would suffer, to try to get him to see reason, but the boy just wouldn't listen! He put his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. He knew Genis was upset because fellow half-elves were the ones doing this, but that was irrelevant to the matter at hand. There was no point in risking their lives and the lives of the whole village for the sake of a handful of people at the ranch!

"Rai? What are you doing on the ground?" Colette's innocent voice floated up to him. He felt a flash of annoyance. Sometimes he thought the Chosen didn't have any sense whatsoever. Or maybe it was all just an act? …No, that was ridiculous.

"I'm fine," he said, getting to his feet slowly. "Why don't you go find your boyfriend? I would've thought you'd be with him exclusively today, seeing as you'll be leaving soon." Colette looked hurt and immediately he felt bad, but before he could say anything she burst into tears and dashed away. He stared after her, stunned. Had he really said something _that_ bad? Why was everyone all sensitive today, anyway?

Lloyd's voice sounded in the distance, rising in volume. "Rai! What did you do to Colette, you bastard?!"

Somehow, he had a feeling that things weren't going to get any better from here on out.

...

Late that night, Raine's blood ran cold as she realized she couldn't feel her brother's presence anywhere in the village.

Genis was gone.


	3. Chapter Two: Half-Elves in Our Midst

**EDIT: These past few weeks have been crazy with finals and my computer crashing (resulting in the loss of much of my story). Because of this, I haven't been able to update for a while (even though I had planned to do so once a week). Rest assured that I will continue to update, however, despite the delay.  
**

**A/N: I've decided I'll most likely update about once a week. Also, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last one. Enjoy!**

Chapter Two: Half-Elves In Our Midst

Genis stormed quickly through the darkening forest – well, as quickly as was possible with legs as short as his. His kendama was ready in his hand in case he came across any monsters – he'd roast anything that tried to stop him! – but the night was oddly quiet. So he contented himself with furiously blasting fireballs every which way.

He couldn't believe Rai. At first when Rai had tried to discourage him from returning to see Marble, he'd thought it was just because he was afraid of the Desians, but now he wasn't so sure. Did Rai even _care _about the suffering of all those people in the ranch? Marble was such a nice person, and even though those Desians were doing horrible things to her she still treated Genis so well and refused to give up living. And there were even little _kids_ at the ranch, even younger than Genis was! He clenched his fists. How could Rai possibly condone something like that?!

He stopped and collapsed next to a tree, burying his face in his hands. He remembered what Rai had started to say – "People are suffering, but there's nothing we can do." How could he say something like that so calmly? How could he, knowing that people were suffering, simply stand by and ignore it? Genis could never live like that!

He realized that subconsciously, his legs had carried him to the human ranch. Sighing, he stood and turned to go; there was no point in being here now. Marble would be locked up somewhere inside, probably asleep. Tomorrow he'd ask Lloyd to take him to the human ranch on his way home so that he could take Marble some food. He doubted the Desians even fed her at all. Those Desians were so…!

_But they're half-elves, just like me…_

Furious, Genis gave one last blast from his kendama, forgetting temporarily how close he was to the ranch. A yelp came from a few metres ahead of him and Genis froze. _Don't tell me…_

"Ow! You brat! Get back here!" The singed Desian caught him by the arm and swung him around forcefully. "What are you...you're a half-elf!" His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you actually live together with those inferior beings."

"Look who's talking," Genis retorted sarcastically, inwardly burning with fury. _Who does this guy think he is?_

The Desian looked angry. "It's people like you who cater to them that keeps those inferior beings thinking they're on the same level as us! I can't believe a fellow half-elf could associate with such filth." He shook his head in disgust. "I guess I'd better take you in. I was thinking of letting you go since you're a half-elf and all, but evidently you're no better than the inferior beings you call friends."

Genis struggled, but it was no use; the Desian was much stronger than he was, and soon enough he found himself stripped of his weapons and thrown into a dark cell.

…

Lloyd was utterly shocked. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen Colette cry, but here she was, tears running down her delicate face. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and let her sob into his chest. When she had calmed down a bit, he pulled back and held her at arm's length. "Okay," he said firmly. "You need to tell me what's going on. I knew something was bothering you, but since you hadn't said anything I thought I'd respect that. But if it's hurting you this much, I'm not going to let you go through it alone!"

"Lloyd, I…" Colette started, but before she could finish a voice interrupted them. It was the Professor. Lloyd felt a flash of annoyance – did she have to come in _now_? – but pushed it away. The Professor probably had a good reason.

She took in the looks on their faces and said, "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I just wanted to ask if either of you have seen Genis. I can't find him anywhere." The worry was clear in her voice.

Lloyd felt a spurt of panic. He'd heard Rai and Genis having some kind of argument earlier, but he'd been too preoccupied with Colette and her unexpected outburst to go look for Genis. What if he'd gone to the forest and gotten hurt? Or maybe even encountered some Desians? His friend _had_ been acting a little odd lately…

He leapt to his feet. "Professor," he said urgently, "did Genis say anything out of the ordinary to you today?"

The Professor furrowed her brow. "No," she sighed finally. "I talked to him for a moment after school, but after that he went off with Rai and I haven't seen him since…" Before she could finish, Lloyd had raced out of the door.

He had to find Rai. For sure that argument he'd had with Genis must have something to do with this. He sprinted over to the Sages' house and flung open the door. "Rai? Genis?" The house was empty, as he'd expected. Where else could Rai be? Just then, he heard a voice from behind him.

"What are you doing in my house?" Rai said, sounding annoyed.

"This isn't the time for that!" Lloyd said forcefully. "Genis has disappeared, and the last one to see him was you. I need to know what you were arguing about earlier!" He saw Rai's eyes widen fractionally and narrowed his own accusingly. "You know something, don't you?"

For the first time since he'd met Rai, some of the boy's calm façade cracked and he looked worried. "I…"

"Don't tell me he's gone to the human ranch," Lloyd pressed on. Genis had been sneaking away some of his lunch for the past few days now, although to give to whom Lloyd hadn't known; but if he wasn't in the village, the only other place was…

Rai's mouth thinned. "…That thick-headed idiot. Even if he was upset, I can't believe he actually…"

Lloyd grabbed the elf by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "Do you really think this is the time for that?!" he demanded. "If Genis has gone to the ranch, we need to get him back _right away_, before those Desians do something horrible to him!"

Rai's eyes closed and he didn't respond for a moment, and then they flashed open. "Then it's best if I go."

Lloyd stared at him. He'd never expected Rai to say something like that; he didn't seem like the type to barge into a human ranch on a rescue mission. "I'm coming too," he said firmly. Rai sighed.

"Lloyd, there's something you need to know," he said, "but you can't tell anyone else in the village about it."

"Fine, fine," Lloyd said hurriedly, "as long as we can save Genis. What is it? Do you know something?"

Rai looked conflicted and slightly hesitant, and Lloyd wondered briefly what it could possibly be that was affecting him so. Finally he said, "I'm a half-elf. So if I go to the Desians, I can pretend I want to join them and get Genis out that way."

Lloyd gaped. So he was a half-elf, fine…that was unexpected, but Lloyd could understand why he hadn't told them. But to go to the Desians, pretending to be one of their own…

"What's going on here? What's this about the Desians?" the Professor's voice cut into their conversation. Lloyd whirled around and faced the door, and Rai turned more slowly.

"I told Lloyd I'm a half-elf," he explained. "Genis has likely gone to the human ranch, so I'll go scout things out. It's safest for me to go, since I can always pretend to want to join the Desians if I need to save him."

The Professor looked shocked. She must have known about Rai being a half-elf, Lloyd realized. She started to say something, but Rai interrupted her. "It's okay, I told him about you guys being pure-blooded elves, and that you hid my identity to protect me," he said. The Professor said nothing, but she looked sad and knowing as she gazed at Rai. Rai was pointedly looking away.

"Well, let's get going now then!" Lloyd said, trying to diffuse the tension. "We should try to get to Genis as soon as possible."

Rai looked at him steadily with his clear green eyes. "Actually," he said, "I was thinking it might be better if we wait awhile."

Lloyd was shocked. "Why?" he asked. "How could that possibly help Genis?"

"Well, it's the middle of the night right now," Rai said reasonably in that infuriating way he had. "If Genis did go to the ranch, then he's likely already captured by now, and since he's an elf, the Desians probably won't do anything to him right away. And if he didn't go to the ranch, then we should give him a chance to come back. If he isn't back by tomorrow, we'll make a plan to go see what's going on. Plus, I think we should do it without letting anyone else in the village know. After all, if Genis has gone there, then he's broken the non-aggression treaty – I doubt the mayor will like that."

Lloyd clenched his fists. He didn't like the idea of just waiting while his friend was in danger, but he could see that Rai had a point, and the professor was nodding as well. Finally he said, "Fine, I guess that makes sense, but…how can you be so…uncaring? It's your brother who's been captured!"

Rai's eyes flashed with such fury that Lloyd was taken aback. "How _dare_ you imply that I don't care about Genis," he snapped. "It's _because _I care about him that I'm trying to be reasonable. Just because I don't rush headlong into danger at the drop of a hat – "

"That's enough, Rai, Lloyd," the Professor cut in, stepping between them. "Rai is right – it would be foolhardy to try to storm the ranch now. I'm worried about Genis too, but we shouldn't lose our heads."

Lloyd sighed. How the hell was he supposed to sleep with his best friend captured? It would be a long night.

…

Genis jolted to alertness as he was abruptly jerked out of his cell into the early morning light. Disoriented, he looked around and realized that all the human prisoners were also being released and herded out towards the courtyard out back. He shivered with foreboding – he doubted they were being led towards anything good – and then glanced around to see if he could see Marble anywhere, but there was no sign of her. He glared at the Desian holding his arm and to his surprise, the Desian actually let go. Then he moved closer to Genis and whispered, "You can avoid all this unpleasantness if you give up those inferior beings and join us. After all, you _are _of the superior race yourself."

Genis glared at him and said nothing, mind racing. It occurred to him that he could pretend to be interested in joining and look for a way to escape, but then they'd probably expect him to start mistreating the humans – if he refused, his cover would be blown and he'd be in an even worse situation than before. At least right now the Desians weren't sure where his allegiances lay; maybe he could stall by pretending to be interested in their organization. Quickly, he wiped the anger off his face, hoping the Desian hadn't noticed it or would attribute it to fear. Trying to sound timid, he asked softly, "Are half-elves really superior? The humans always said…"

Just as he had hoped, the Desian's face tightened with anger on Genis's behalf. "Those filthy humans said _you_ were inferior? Those beasts. With us, you'll be accepted for who you are, and no one will discriminate against you based on the amount of elven or human blood in your veins."

Despite himself, Genis was interested. No discrimination? They'd accept him? But…no. _Don't forget the horrible atrocities these people commit_, he reminded himself. The Desian seemed to have noticed the confusion on Genis's face, because his face softened and he clapped Genis on the shoulder. "Think about it," he said softly. "But for now, since you're still a prisoner, you'll have to go with the rest to watch the execution. I'm sorry."

The blood drained out of Genis's face as the Desian walked away and he was pushed forward with the crowd. _Execution? No way. This is sick…_He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to vomit or pass out, and steeled himself for what he was about to witness. _I can't lose control, I can't lose control_…

They entered a wide-open area at the back of the ranch that was familiar to Genis; it was here, by the perimeter, that he used to meet with Marble. _Marble. I hope she's all right_, he thought worriedly. Why wasn't she here with the rest of the prisoners? He felt a trickle of unease as he realized…_No, it can't be…._

Genis looked up and felt as if he had been turned to ice. Being dragged up to the front, flanked by a group of Desians, was Marble.

…

Colette bit her lip nervously. She couldn't stop worrying about what might be happening to Genis right now at the hands of the Desians. He'd probably gone there because he wanted to save the people at the ranch…

She sighed. She'd thought about it many times herself; people were suffering at the ranch, so shouldn't she, as the Chosen, be able to protect them? She'd comforted herself with the fact that once she regenerated the world, they would be saved, but she knew that many of them would be killed before their salvation came…

Her eyes closed. This was her fault. She was the one who was supposed to save everyone – because she couldn't save the people at the ranch, Genis was in danger. _Genis, I'm so sorry…_Tomorrow, she'd definitely go with them to save Genis, she decided. _I can't just stand by and let something bad happen to him!_

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud thump, and she realized that Lloyd had driven his fist into a nearby tree trunk. He lowered his hand and she could see blood running down his knuckles and dripping onto the ground. "Lloyd!" she cried in dismay, running over to him. "Please don't beat yourself up over this! Genis will…be all right…" Even to her own ears, her voice sounded hollow and unconvincing, but she gently picked up Lloyd's hand and pulled off his glove. He stared unseeingly past her, as if he had forgotten she was even there, so she guided him towards the trunk and pushed him into a sitting position so she could bind his hand.

"Lloyd," she said finally, as gently as she could. "It's not your fault…"

Lloyd's eyes finally focused on her, and he looked so helpless…Her heart broke at the sight of seeing Lloyd, who was always sure of himself, reduced to such a state. After a pause, he spoke falteringly.

"But…I knew he was giving some of his lunch to someone. I should have realized what was going on, I should have…I should –" His voice broke and Colette wrapped her arms around him comfortingly, just as he had done for her not too long ago.

"There's no way you could have known, Lloyd," she murmured. "No one would have expected you to. Besides, it's –" She stopped herself before she could say 'It's my fault, too'. She knew that would only agitate Lloyd more.

As she held her best friend, she realized that part of her was relieved that Lloyd had forgotten about her earlier loss of control, at least temporarily. She hoped he wouldn't ask about it again; she didn't know how long she could lie to him…

She felt a sudden stab of guilt. How could she be feeling _glad_ that this had happened, just because of her own selfish reason? _I should be thinking of Genis right now, not myself!_ She closed her eyes and sent a prayer up to the Goddess Martel. _Please, Your Grace. Let him be safe._

…

Rai stared into space, his eyes blank. He couldn't believe that he'd revealed himself to Lloyd, of all people. He was proud of being a half-elf, but he'd had to hide for so long that just coming out and saying it…felt wrong. He hoped he'd managed to pull it off without seeming too ruffled, but his heart had been pounding like a drum and he'd broken out in a cold sweat at the thought of finally telling someone.

Still, it had to be done. After all, Genis…

Rai sighed. He still couldn't understand why he always became so weak when it came to Genis. In both this life and his previous – if that was indeed what his odd memories signified – he had always acted in his own self-interest. Even actions that pleased others were usually carefully calculated so that others' affection for him would grow, or so that he could curry favor and later receive favors back in return. But Genis…when Lloyd had told him that the younger half-elf had disappeared, Rai's heart had skipped a beat and for a second he had feared it would stop altogether. It had been an odd and dangerous feeling, one that he did not much want to experience again. _Just don't let Genis get into trouble again_. But that wasn't an answer. _Why_ did he care about Genis's safety so? Yes, he should care about his brother, but if he got into trouble because he was an idiot, Rai shouldn't have to be responsible…

That was what his mind said. But still, Rai had a nervous tension in his chest that refused to go away. Even though he had been the one to point out that they should wait and not go to save Genis right away, he still felt as if he should immediately go to his brother's aid. _Have I become an irrational idiot who acts impulsively on his emotions? _he thought of himself in disgust. He ran his hands through his hair, pushing the long silver bangs out of his eyes, and then propped his chin in his hands. Well, there was no point in brooding about it – it would hardly change anything. He'd decided to wait until at least mid-afternoon tomorrow before going to the ranch after Genis, so he'd stand by that decision. He should get to his nightly practice in magic.

What an odd relationship he had with Genis, Rai mused as he got to his feet and dusted off his knee-length black pants. He cared about him to the point where he almost (_almost_, but not quite) became irrational, but at the same time was so envious of him that he had to practice spells every night in secret to keep up. It was a secret he had kept from Genis for almost a year, and his brother had come close to finding it out the other day. In fact, in a way Lloyd had saved him by rolling into the classroom, Rai thought with dry amusement.

He raised his hands, palms facing out. It was the pose he used in order to channel his magical power, since unlike Genis, he did not use a weapon. He focused his mind with practiced ease and hissed, "_Icicle_." As the sharp frozen shard spiked up from the ground, he examined it critically. He had noticed over the past few weeks that by tailoring how he focused his mind and how precisely he channeled his mana, he could alter the density, height, and width of the icicle. Every night he would practice his control, making the ice spike higher or lower, testing its strength, measuring its thickness with his eyes.

He had also realized that saying incantations for spells was entirely unnecessary, although very helpful. Without voicing the incantations aloud, it was very difficult to cast magic – however, it was still possible, as Rai had finally proved two days ago. As long as he could prevent his mind from wandering and keep it firmly focused on the spell and the spell only, he could manage to cast completely nonverbally, although it took a lot of concentration.

Rai had long since concluded that although he had better concentration of mind, Genis had a natural control over his mana. This was what prevented Rai from easily mastering new spells and what allowed Genis to almost intuitively shape his body's life energy into new attacks. Each different element required the mana that fueled it to be released in a specific way, and had to be infused with specific feelings. Wind was cutting, thin, and razor-sharp; ice was biting and cold; fire was fury and heat. Rai found it impossible to harness light magic or earth magic, but he could harness ice, fire, and darkness with extreme ease, while wind, lightning, and water were achievable but more difficult.

As he ran through his mental exercises and cast fifty times in each element, as he did every night, he did his best to keep his mind from straying to thoughts of his brother.

…

Genis felt like a hollow shell, and his eyes burned as if someone had thrown alcohol in his face. When he had first seen Marble, ice had spread through his body, and soon fire had followed it; now, neither was left.

He remembered how he had screamed and cried, how he had spewed profanities he hadn't even known he _knew_, how he had struggled and lashed out at the Desians restraining him, and how Marble had…

Marble had…turned into a monster…

And then the Desians had…_hunted_ her, as if she were an animal…

Genis shuddered, and even though he had thought he must have dried up all the water in his body by now, his eyes once more filled with hot tears. _All my fault…_

They'd killed Marble because she'd been secretly meeting with someone from outside the ranch. As an example to the rest of the prisoners. _My fault. She was meeting me._

And it wasn't enough to just kill her – they'd had to make her, a gentle, kind old lady, lose control and then make _sport_ of ending her life…

He was still horrified, but his tears were drying up again. If he wanted to gain control of himself, he'd have to think about something academic, and not about how Marble…_no_. Now was not the time to brood about it. He'd cried and cried, but he needed to find a way out of here, and then he could mourn Marble properly.

A thought occurred to him and he opened his right fist. The round, blue stone gazed back at him. He knew from seeing Lloyd's similar gem that this was an 'exsphere', a tool for increasing one's innate abilities. But then why, for Marble, had it…

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, thinking. The Desians had removed the stone from Marble's hand, and as soon as they had done so, the mana that made up her body had begun to pulse, and twist, and…he shuddered again to think of it. It was horribly unnatural, and he knew it must have been extremely painful.

He wiped his eyes angrily before he could begin sobbing again and directed his mind back to the matter at hand. If removing the exsphere had caused her mana to go out of control, then somehow her body must have become dependent on it. He doubted Lloyd's exsphere worked like that though...Dirk wouldn't have given his son something so dangerous. So there must be some fundamental difference between Lloyd's exsphere and Marble's…but what?

He yawned despite himself – his body was horribly taxed, he realized, feeling how his own mana was several times more depleted than normal – and leaned back against the wall. He'd ask Lloyd about it later when he got out, and he couldn't think of a way out when he was so tired…

"You! Out, now!" He opened his eyes and glanced at the bars. It was the same Desian who had tried to convince him to join before – Alai, as the others had called him. Before Genis could move, the Desians had thrust the cell door open and pulled Genis outside.

Genis was led along, prodded periodically in the back by the Desian. Nobody seemed to question where they were going – likely the Desian had orders to remove Genis. But when he was shoved out of the human ranch and into the forest, he turned around in shock. "What –?"

"Shut up," hissed the Desian quickly, grabbing Genis by the upper arm and dragging him further away from the ranch. When they were several metres away, he glanced around and then said, "You're only a kid, and a half-elf to boot; I feel sorry for you, and I don't think you should have had to see that execution. So I'm going to take you back to your village – but don't think I'm on your side," he added sharply, as Genis opened his mouth. "I'll not mention it to Lord Forcystus or the other higher-ups this time, but don't expect any other special treatment in the future." He paused. "And, of course, I'll be warning the inferior beings that any further breaches of the treaty will not be taken so lightly." He glanced at Genis and added, "I think you'll soon see, though, that half-elves have no place among humans. If they knew what you were, they would turn on you without a moment's thought."

With that, he resumed the quick pace, dragging a shocked Genis in his wake.

…

"Get out here, inferior beings!" The harsh yell rang in Rai's ears, and he hurriedly sprang to his feet and exited the house. By the village entrance was a Desian, and next to him – Rai felt a rush of relief – was Genis.

Within a few minutes, all the villagers had gathered. There was a strangled yell from Lloyd. "Genis!" The swordsman attempted to rush forward, but Raine caught his arm. Rai knew why. There was no knowing what the Desian's intentions were in bringing Genis back.

"Listen up, filth," the Desian snarled. "This brat has been found on our property – in clear violation of the non-aggression treaty." Shocked whispers sprang up throughout the crowd, but the Desian held up a hand for quiet and they subsided. "However," he continued, pausing – for dramatic effect, Rai thought – before he finished his sentence. "I have seen fit to condone this one time, and neglect to report this for Lord Forcystus." Before the crowd could make a sound, he added loudly, "After all, this child _is_ of the superior race – a half-elf, much more deserving than filth like you. I could hardly condemn one of my own kin."

There was a shocked, heavy silence. Rai could probably have heard a pin drop, if there were one to hear.

"At any rate, you have all been warned," the Desian said. Before he released Genis, who looked petrified and ashamed, he bent over to whisper something into the boy's ear. From Rai's vantage point, he managed to make out the words "…for your own good." He frowned, wondering what that could mean – and then it became clear. The Desian had revealed Genis's race in an effort to show the boy that humans were not to be trusted.

Rai gritted his teeth angrily. Although that was true – humans were indeed by and large a fickle and dull-witted race – that was hardly a good reason to expose a mere child to such cruelty as would now be heaped on him by the villagers.

Several thoughts entered his mind at the same time as he scrambled frantically for the best course of action. His first thought was that one option was to simply let Genis take the fall, but he rejected that possibility almost immediately for multiple reasons – one, that Rai's own identity as well as Raine's would then come into jeopardy, and two, that he simply didn't want Genis to have to face that. He also considered that if Genis and Raine were both to be exiled, even considering Rai escaped the same fate, he would then be alone in a now suspicious village – not a very appealing thought. And there was also the debt he still had to Raine, he admitted grudgingly to himself; she had raised him and for that she deserved something in return.

Suddenly another thought came to him, and slowly, his mind cleared. Yes – there was a way he could resolve this, a way in which he could kill two birds with one stone. He smirked slightly. Things were always better when one had a plan.

**A/N: If there's anything that seems confusing, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Thanks!**


End file.
